Election season is upon us, and although arts are rarely a high priority for candidates when defining their platform. Even the most significant issues for artists, most notably federal arts funding and unemployment, rarely become a factor in a candidate’s run for office.
Yet despite the limited impact politicians and their policies appear to have on the arts, artists and their work have a rich history of involvement in politics. At the height of Greek society in Athens, attending plays was mandatory for all citizens and viewing drama was considered essential to maintaining a healthy polis. In fact, theater was so important to Athenians that annual taxes could be paid in the form of outfitting a war galley or funding the chorus for the annual Dionysian festival.
Attendance is no longer required by the state and producers are lucky if even a fraction of citizens make it to any live performance, let alone one that engages them mentally. Yet for the few people who do regularly attend live theater, performances are still a testes way to spark conversation amongst an audience and cause them to think critically about their government and society. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Jean Anouilh’s version of Antigone, and many other works are written more for their political subtext rather than overt storyline. Thespians and artists in general take it upon themselves to challenge the public and keep them questioning.
Arts policies are typically an afterthought for politicians running for major national political offices, but the arts remain actively engaged in the political scene. Any effort to cause a population to think critically about the issues important to them prior to stepping into a voting booth should be encouraged.
